The Truth About the
Abundant Life

Dr. Steven E.

Oh, be careful little eyes what you see, and be careful little ears what you hear. But let me emphasize something to you: every child of God has to fight and struggle to be sure his mind is right and straight and pure. You are not alone!
The abundant life includes struggle! It is normal. However, I do not want you to think that you must live a defeated life. In chapter 8 of Romans, Paul says, ‘Now wait a minute! You can have victory; you do not have to live defeated. You can live victoriously: In verse 1, he says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit:’
You do not have to walk after the flesh, you can walk after the Spirit; but for you to believe that there is not going to be any struggle in your Christian life, that you are going to reach a place where there will be no struggle, is foolish and misleading.
He comes to verses 5 through 7 and says:
“For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace because the carnal mind [that is the fleshly mind] is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.”
The old flesh will never be subject to the law of God. The old self will always battle and struggle. There is no good thing in the flesh.
Then he says in verse 8, “So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God” and in verse 9, “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. . . .”
You, may say, “Preacher, what is the answer to it?” look in verses 12 and 13: “Therefore, brethren we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live:’ The word “mortify” means “put to death.” We must, moment by moment and hour by hour, put to death the deeds of the body.
Again I want to emphasize that in the abundant life, struggle is normal. I find many Christians today who believe that because they are having struggles in their Christian lives, they are no good, that God has taken His hand off them and they cannot do anything for God. Many believe they are dirty and vile just because they are having struggles.